One of the questions I get asked a lot is how to work with brands. Blogger tips on this topic can be hard to find, but they’re seriously important. Getting noticed by brands and building a working relationship with them takes a lot of time and energy. While there’s no right or wrong approach and I’m by no means an expert (I’m still learning about blogging + life every single day!), I wanted to share some “blogger tips” I’ve learned along the way, beginning with how to get noticed by brands.
What are collaborations?
Let’s start with the basics. Bloggers are constantly talking about collaborations or special projects they’re working on. Before I started blogging, I never knew exactly what that meant, but it’s really just a somewhat cryptic way of describing a partnership between two parties. The brand may offer the blogger free product or even payment, in exchange the blogger may promote or feature the product/brand.
Collaborations are really the bread and butter of many bloggers/social influencers, especially those that work on a full time basis. Securing consistent collaborations is key to their success and while sometimes a brand may reach out to you directly, often times you may need to do a little leg work in advance to get noticed by them.
Blogger Tips: 5 Ways to Get Noticed by Brands
Content is king.
Always. At the end of the day, your images and quality of work have to speak for you. While your media kit may be more of your resume, your social channels highlight your portfolio. If you’re mostly active on Instagram, it’s important to make sure your photos are of high quality, in line with a brand’s aesthetic (and yours!), and tells a cohesive story using your voice in the copy.
Be proactive.
Instead of waiting to get noticed, take the initiative and reach out to them! Think about your own inbox and the amount of emails you get a day – it can be SO overwhelming. Bigger brands especially receive countless messages a day and have people lining up to work with them. If you don’t reach out to them, they may never even realize you exist! Besides, who doesn’t love a self starter?! You might be scared to reach out – I know I was and that held me back – but once you do, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Maybe they say no, or they’ll more likely just ignore your message (again: overwhelmed in the digital age!). There’s nothing to lose in reaching out to a brand you love directly.
Do your homework.
When you do reach out to a brand, do your homework. You wouldn’t go into a job interview without knowing anything about the company you’re interviewing for, would you? Same thing with brands. A little knowledge goes a long way. You also want to target brands that you already love, or are a good fit for your audience and aesthetic. You never want to work with a brand that doesn’t fit your image – there’s no faster way to lose your credibility and the trust of your followers.
Be willing to do favors.
I’m a huge believer in giving more than you receive. It may be a the taboo thing to say, but I think you should be okay with doing things for free – especially for brands you really love and want to work with – because you never know what that might lead to. I totally get it – a girl’s gotta eat, and free shoes and clothes don’t pay rent. We’ll talk about payment in another post, but I really, really believe that sometimes you have to be okay with doing things for free. Of course, there’s always the chance that a brand will take advantage of you, but you live and you learn, and you move on. I’m not saying you should do everything for free – it’s up to your judgment when to do so.
Be persistent.
Okay, so maybe don’t send them an email every single day. You know that annoying guy that won’t stop texting you? Don’t be that! Unless it works for you? In all seriousness, when it comes to qualities I admire, a little persistence isn’t such a bad thing. If you want to get noticed by a brand, it might take more than 1, 2, or even 10 tries. If you’re absolutely hellbent on collaborating with someone, it’ll be worth the wait. Be patient and be persistent. I featured one brand on my Instagram consistently for over a year before they reached out. They were so appreciative and grateful for my continued support and loyalty, and now we have a working relationship!
Show brands that you know and love them. Follow and engage with their social media accounts. Give them a tag or a shout out in your social feeds – if they like what they see, they may even reach out! As with any relationship, good ones take time and hard work. Be patient and let them grow organically.
By the way – how cute is this dress from Tularosa?!
I’m jumping the gun a bit, but I can’t help it – the arrival of spring and summer collections makes me so excited for warmer weather! I pretty much want everything from Tularosa right now!! I always like to keep a light layer with me to throw on when the temperatures dip at night, so this suede moto is a perfect lightweight option to keep on you when you’re on the go. It’s also on sale : ).
I hope this was helpful! I know when I started blogging, I struggled to find good blogger tips or resources to show me the way. With that said, I would LOVE to hear how you secured your first brand collaborations, and if you have any other blogger tips or advice for getting noticed by brands.
xx, Amy
dress: tularosa | jacket: lovers + friends
